New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wins business book award

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman won the first Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award on Monday for "The World Is Flat," a look at the impact of globalization.

The award, for a book published between Oct. 31, 2004 and Nov. 1, comes with a 30,000 pound ($52,000; Ђ44,000) prize.

"&to=http://english.pravda.ru/letters/2002/02/07/26286.html' target=_blank>Thomas Friedman has identified the most important economic and political theme of the early 21st century and has provided us with the vocabulary for debating its merits and challenges," said Lloyd Blankfein, president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs.